Industry is actively seeking efficient methods and systems to power portable electronic devices. For some time, replaceable batteries or rechargeable batteries have been implemented to power portable devices when an alternating current (AC) power outlet is not available. More recently, fuel cells are being developed as a power source for portable devices.
When operating, fuel cells are effective at supplying an approximately constant power level. However, some electronic devices demand a variable amount of power. For example, a laptop computer demands a variable amount of power based on user configurations, applications being executed, components in use or other parameters. Thus, in order for a fuel cell to power such a device, the fuel cell would need to be sized to output the device's maximum or “peak” power demand. Such an implementation undesirably increases the size and cost of the fuel cell.
In addition, different portable devices have different peak power demands and different configurations to receive power. Thus, a fuel cell designed to power one device may not be compatible with another device or may not efficiently power another device.